Kazabazua River is a
tributary of the
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River (french: Rivière Gatineau, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains ...
in western
Quebec, Canada.
The river gives its name to
Kazabazua, a
village in
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau ''(The Valley of the Gatineau)'' is a regional county municipality in the Outaouais region of western Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Gracefield, Quebec, Gracefield. It was incorporated on January 1, 1983 and was named for ...
. Derived from the
Algonquin language
Algonquin (also spelled Algonkin; in Algonquin: or ) is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by th ...
, the name of this river has had many spellings including "Kazaluzu", "Kasubasua", "Cazabasua", "Cazibazouis", "Cazebalzuac", and "Cajibajouis". The name is said to be derived from ''kachibadjiwan'' (''kach'' meaning "hidden" and ''djiwan'' meaning "current")—a reflection of local
topography as the Kazabazua briefly becomes an
underground river
A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow like a river but is contained within a per ...
before resurfacing a few dozen metres downstream. The river then flows through rapids and passes under a natural
stone bridge.
Geography
The
geography of Kazabazua River includes
calcitic marble containing
crystals of graphite and
grossular garnet
Grossular is a calcium-aluminium species of the garnet group of minerals. It has the chemical formula of Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 but the calcium may, in part, be replaced by ferrous iron and the aluminium by ferric iron. The name grossular is derived from t ...
. The marble has been chemically and mechanically
eroded by water from the river to form a
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
stone bridge. The inclusion of
gneiss in the marble illustrates erosion differential.
[Centre d'Interprétation en Géologie du Grenville, ''Plan de développement intégré, Sites et circuits du patrimoine naturel de la région de l’Outaouais'', Montebello (Quebec), 2008-02-27]
Online version
)
Both this river and
Picanoc River
The Picanoc River (''pikanak'' or ''pakânâk'') is a tributary of the Gatineau River in the administrative region of Outaouais of Quebec, Canada.
The Picanoc River begins in the unorganized territory of Lac-Nilgaut, Quebec in Pontiac Regional Co ...
flow directly through local towns and are used for recreational activities such as
fishing,
rowing, and
swimming. Cottages and homes are along the riverbanks. The
pollution of the Gatineau, Kazabazua, and Pontiac rivers by both treated and untreated
leachate
A leachate is any liquid that, in the course of passing through matter, extracts soluble or suspended solids, or any other component of the material through which it has passed.
Leachate is a widely used term in the environmental sciences wher ...
has been a recent concern and "could have devastating effects upon residents and
tourism throughout the region."
Contamination Of The Kazabazua And Picanoc Rivers One third of the local
Drainage basin, watershed—including any
toxic effluent
Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...
that might be present—flows into the Kazabazua River system.
When water levels rise, the Kazabazua and Pontiac rivers sometimes back up into
Lac Shea causing pollutants that they carry end up in this lake.
''Projet d’établissement d’un lieu d’enfouissement technique à Danford Lake'' (in English) The Kazabuza and Picanoc rivers are among several local bodies of water in
Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Pontiac Regional County Municipality in which delicate aquatic and semi-aquatic animals such as
wood turtles have been studied.
See also
*
List of rivers of Quebec
References
{{reflist
Rivers of Outaouais